5 African civilizations that were as awesome as ancient Egypt

Ancient Carthage

Located in modern-day Tunisia, the ancient city-state of Carthage, which covers much of the Mediterranean, was founded by the Phoenicians on the coast of North Africa around 814 BCE.

The empire achieved commercial success due to its geographical location and trading activities that occurred around the Sahara desert.

The empire was also noted for its purple dye and fine textiles, with skills in crafts. It is said that their Roman rivals even tried to copy their designs but failed.

In terms of agriculture, the Carthaginians used irrigation and other methods of husbandry to grow wheat and other crops in abundance. They sold their agricultural produce in ports across the Mediterranean.

Carthage further put in place a sophisticated system of governmental checks and balances, wrote a constitution, and managed an extensive library. History says most of their literature was destroyed or given as gifts to Numidian kings.

Carthage was unfortunately burned and plundered by the expansion of the Roman Empire.

The Romans had then regarded the Carthaginians as the most dangerous of all their enemies mainly because of the presence of Hannibal, the Carthaginian general during the Second Punic War and the greatest military strategist of all time.